Peace Light
Press Statement
The Peace Light arrived to Hungary from the Holy Land
“Even a small light may bring great brightness.”
/Feri Pál, Hungarian Priest/
Budapest, 14 December 2014. – Scouts take the Peace Light from the Church of Nativity from Bethlehem – one of the least peaceful places on Earth –, to every country of the world during Advent and the Christmas preparations. It was the 24th time this year that the Hungarian Scout Association brought the message of Peace to our country.
The Peace Light campaign was inspired by a TV charitable relief mission “Light in the darkness”, in which a lady gave a lantern in exchange for the offerings. An Austrian Scout group encouraged this mission and set forth the tradition of the Bethlehem Peace Light. Since 1986, when the tradition started, every year a young girl or boy travels to the place where Jesus was born, the Church of Nativity, to light a candle at the eternal flame and bring it to Europe. The transportation of the Bethlehem Peace Light happens by means of special lanterns and eternal flames. The Light reaches its destination by car, air, train, bicycle or foot.
The United Nations declared 1986 to be the International Year of Peace as a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the organization. Back then they seeked to put an end to the arms race to prevent a global catastrophe. Nowadays peace is threatened in a different way, yet the message is just as relevant as before. The Light, the symbol of peace, which the Scouts bring to Europe, each year draws our attention to the importance of the preservation of love and peace in the period of Advent.
The Peace Light arrived directly to Vienna from Bethlehem, and the representatives of the Hungarian Scout Association with Barnabás Buday, President of the Association, along with delegations from more than 30 countries, took over the Light on 13 December to bring it the homes of Hungarians. The three Scouts of the Hungarian delegation – Róbert Rozgonyi patrol leader, Attila Szabó patrol leader and Krisztina Túróczi scoutmaster – were given the honour due to their outstanding performance, helpfulness and devotion.
The scouts distributed the Light to the representatives of Scout groups from all around the country at a solemn ceremony at a Calvinist Church in Budapest At the ceremony Feri Pál Roman Catholic Priest gave the sermon and welcomed the Scout delegation arriving from Vienna to take the Light over from them. The priest put it wisely when he said: “Even a small light may bring great brightness to people.”
Barnabás Buday, the President of the Hungarian Scout Association handed the Peace Light over and then read the words of welcome of Csaba Böjte OFM. The friar referred to our twisted world concept in his Advent meditation, according to which “people are either good or bad, they cannot change”. By raising our attention to our need for peace he gave an example of the manifestation of love, when he mentioned a story of a child longing for love. “It is easy to condemn a child or and adult and say that he/she is bad. Let us consider a bit what happens at such times. We basically push the condemned into the hands of evil, like a trembling nestling to a wild cat. I believe that in each person the face of our Lord Jesus shines somewhere deep inside, and we are not supposed to push each other into the hands of evil, but should rather help to write, conceive and express words of love and kindness.”
Those present could take the Light home in 200 lanterns that were donated by the Hungarian Scout Association. Thanks to the Scouts the Peace Light was taken to Dunakeszi, Tata, Debrecen, Rácalmás, Kulcs, Pilisszentiván, Székesfehérvár, Törökszentmiklós, Szajol, Mátramindszent, Szuha, Bátonyterenye, Balatonboglár, Miskolc, Gyöngyös, Gödöllő andmany other cities and settlements in Hungary.
The delegation of the Hungarian Scout Association took the Peace Light to the Parliament as well, on Monday, 15 December. János Latorcai, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, took over the Light at 9 o’clock in the morning, and by this he made it possible that the Light arrived at Hungarian homes from the Parliament as well where they would burn till Christmas. Passing the light on from candle to candle symbolizes that we have to pass on peace and love just like light.
For further information:
Tímea Tőrincsi /Viktória Sándor
Hungarian Scout Association
Phone: 30/490-4444; 20/823-1785
